Installing older software in Windows XP

Well a bit of background before getting to the crux of things. I was perfectly happy with Windows 98se, I had everything set up the way I wanted and it all ran fine, and then I went and bought my wife an iPod for our anniversary. Much to my dismay the iPod required XP for proper function. Ok fine, it was time I got into the 21st century, I guess, and since the university I work for has a deal with Microsoft I could get the XP disk for $5.00. So I get the disk and do a clean install. I didn't have anything on my hard-drive that I really wanted to save and I figured that I could just install the software I wanted back on the computer after installing the XP. I got XP installed and started getting things configured the way I wanted and then started loading my software on my machine. And then I started noticing something odd. Some software would install and some wouldn't. Some of the older games I wanted to install, wouldn't. Most of them will autorun and bring up the install screen but when I click on the install button the CD-Rom will spin...and nothing happens! On one of the older, older, games it doesn't autorun and I have to search for the setup executable but when I click on it it does the same thing, the CD-Rom spins...and nothing happens! So I have been to a number of help sites on the net and searched faq's here and so far haven't come up with anything. I am hoping that it is something simple that I just haven't been able to figure out and that somebody has had the same problem and can point me in the right direction. Anyway I would be grateful for any kind of help. I would hate to not be able to play Grand Prix Legends anymore!
Thanks
JP

 

That's so simple it can't possibly work! I'm a little ticked that I didn't think of it myself. I will try it, see if it works and report back.
Thanks!

 

That worked for older software that the disk is not required to be in the CD-rom to play. However when I tried to install software that the disk is required, it got so far in the installation process and then gave me an error prompt that the cd was invalid. Any thoughts on that?